Dip

Movement

In a dip, a person holds their bodyweight on their arms while gripping a bench, parallel bars or gymnastics rings¹. They lower the body by bending the elbows and extending the shoulders¹. Shoulder extension is moving the arm backward, behind the body. They rise again by straightening the elbows and flexing the shoulders, which brings the arms forward¹.

The authors of one study of dips wrote that the exercise had drawn little attention in the literature, though it is widely popular¹. They added that research done on other pushing exercises, such as the push-up, had not been done on dip versions¹. They write that bench, bar and ring may be the three more common versions in practice¹.

The authors of one study of dips wrote that the exercise had drawn little attention in the literature, though it is widely popular.

How the three versions differ in shape

That study recorded 13 experienced men using their own technique in each version, and 11 of them did the ring dip¹. It found these differences in body position:

• Trunk lean. The upper trunk leaned forward significantly less in the bench dip than in the bar or ring dip¹.
• Elbow bend. The elbow bent significantly less in the bench dip than the bar dip, and significantly more in the bar dip than the ring dip¹.
• Shoulder extension. The peak was significantly greater in the bench dip than in the other two, and significantly greater in the bar dip than the ring dip¹.
• Other shoulder angles. Peak abduction (lifting the arm out to the side) and peak external rotation (turning it outward) did not differ significantly between versions¹.

How far back the arm goes

Before the dips, each man lowered himself as far as he could on a waist-height dip bar, feet on the ground¹. The table gives peak shoulder extension in each dip as a share of the extension reached in that test¹.

Version and study	Peak shoulder extension, as a share of the range test
Bench dip, 13 men	About 101%1
Bar dip, 13 men	About 88%1
Ring dip, 11 men	About 69%1
Bar dip, 15 men, second study	About 76%3

The two bar dip figures come from two studies^1,3. In the second, 15 healthy men did one set of bar dips to exhaustion³. Their share was about 76% both early in the set and at its end³.

The authors put the bench dip’s larger shoulder extension down to its smaller trunk lean, which averaged about 13 degrees¹.

What it loads

The muscles that were recorded

The dip is generally thought to strengthen the shoulder and arm muscles, particularly two¹. They are the triceps brachii, on the back of the upper arm, and the pectoralis major, the large chest muscle¹.

The study of three versions used surface electromyography (EMG), which picks up a muscle’s electrical signals through sensors on the skin¹. It chose nine muscles for the roles its authors suspected they play¹:

• Potential agonists, or prime movers: the pectoralis major’s clavicular head, the anterior deltoid and the triceps brachii’s lateral head¹. A prime mover is the main muscle that makes a movement. The anterior deltoid is the front part of the deltoid.
• Potential stabilisers of the scapula (shoulder blade): the upper trapezius, the serratus anterior and the lower trapezius¹. A stabiliser is a muscle that holds a joint steady while other muscles move it.
• Potential stabilisers of the glenohumeral joint, the main shoulder joint: the infraspinatus, the latissimus dorsi and the biceps brachii¹.

A second study’s authors write that the dip is mainly prescribed for the triceps and pectoralis major, not the anterior deltoid³. They call the anterior deltoid, a shoulder flexor, a likely agonist too³.

Bench, bar and rings compared

The comparisons below are of peak surface EMG in 13 experienced men, 11 of whom did the ring dip¹.

• Bar against bench. Six muscles were significantly more active in the bar dip: pectoralis major, anterior deltoid, triceps brachii, upper trapezius, serratus anterior and latissimus dorsi¹.
• Rings against bench. Eight muscles were significantly more active in the ring dip: those six, plus the infraspinatus and biceps brachii¹.
• Rings against bar. Three muscles differed significantly, and no others: pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi and biceps brachii, each most active in the ring dip¹.
• Lower trapezius. Its peak did not differ significantly between the three versions¹.
• Infraspinatus and biceps brachii. Neither showed a higher peak in the bar dip than in the bench dip¹.

Mean peak triceps EMG was 0.83 millivolts in the bench dip, 1.04 in the bar dip and 1.05 in the ring dip¹. The authors still concluded that the bench dip targets the triceps relatively well, given its reduced resistance¹.

A set taken to exhaustion

Fifteen healthy men who regularly did bodyweight dips did one set of bar dips to exhaustion, averaging about 25 repetitions³. The study compared the final three repetitions with repetitions 2 to 4³:

• Peak surface EMG was higher at the end in five muscles: pectoralis major, triceps brachii, serratus anterior, lower trapezius and latissimus dorsi³.
• It was similar in four: anterior deltoid, upper trapezius, infraspinatus and biceps brachii³.
• The peak joint angles measured did not change significantly³.

The authors wrote that the movement of the shoulder blade through a dip had not been assessed³.

Injuries reported with dips

The authors of the study of three versions wrote that the dip has been criticised as a possible high-risk exercise for the shoulder¹. They called the supporting evidence limited¹. It was two case reports of pectoralis major ruptures (tears) from the bar dip, plus anecdotes and unsubstantiated claims about the ring dip¹. A case report is a report on a single patient.

Case reports of muscle and bone injuries

• A pectoralis major rupture happened during weighted parallel bar dips⁴. The report’s authors wrote that injuries linked to the dip were seldom reported⁴.
• A 26-year-old man with five years of CrossFit practice had a complete rupture of the sternal part of the pectoralis major tendon⁵. It happened while lowering in a ring dip, in the last of five sets of six, with 40 kg added⁵.
• A young male military recruit had a stress fracture, a small crack from repeated loading, of the manubrium, the upper part of the breastbone⁶. He had noticed a click during parallel bar dips with a wider-than-shoulder grip⁶.
• A low-demand weightlifter with no earlier symptoms suddenly broke the middle third of the clavicle (collarbone) and the second rib during triceps dips⁷.
• A 13-year-old boy had a stress fracture of the clavicle, felt as a pop and sudden pain after about 20 bodyweight triceps dips⁸. The authors believe the repeated pull on the clavicle from the deltoid and pectoralis major may have contributed⁸.

The authors of the study of three versions tested bodyweight dips, four repetitions at a time, on a V-shaped bar¹. They wrote that the risk of pectoralis major injury may rise markedly with added load, more fatigue or a wide grip¹.

The front of the shoulder: the authors’ hypothesis

The authors of the study of 13 men suggest a way the bench dip’s large shoulder extension may raise injury risk¹. It is repeated, less-than-maximal straining of the front band of the inferior glenohumeral ligament, at the front of the shoulder capsule¹. A ligament is a tough band of tissue that holds bones together at a joint. The study did not measure ligament strain or injuries¹.

In the study of 15 men, four tried one more repetition and failed³. In two of those failed repetitions, shoulder extension went past the most that man had reached in the range test³. The authors call this an incidental finding³.

Ring dips in one survey

A retrospective survey, one that looks back at past cases, was completed by 247 members of a gym franchise running an extreme conditioning programme⁹. Ring dips were one of four exercises significantly more likely to result in injury⁹. The survey’s authors wrote that it is unclear whether these exercises are more dangerous in themselves or were done at dangerously high volumes⁹.

In the laboratory study, where 11 of the 13 men did the ring dip, that version used the least shoulder extension¹. Its authors suggest they may have been avoiding the end of the range in a less stable task¹. They suggest the main concern with the ring dip is injury from falling from the rings, rather than stress on the shoulder¹.

How the body adapts

The authors of the bar dip study wrote that there was little evidence justifying the exercise’s use in the programmes that prescribe it³.

One randomised trial, which assigns people to groups by chance, studied 30 male collegiate gymnasts for six weeks². Two groups added resistance training to their gymnastics, and a third did regular gymnastics training alone². The added training was not dips alone: it used the bar dip, pull-up and shoulder press². Strength was measured as the one-repetition maximum (1RM), the heaviest load a person can lift once.

Group	Rise in bar dip 1RM	Rise in bar dips done in 60 seconds
High load, 75% of 1RM	About 9 kg2	About 82
Low load, 30% of 1RM, with blood flow restriction	About 11 kg2	About 92
Regular gymnastics training alone	Under 1 kg2	About 22

Blood flow restriction training is exercise done with a cuff around the limb that partly limits its blood flow. The strength gains of the two training groups did not differ significantly². The authors note that the study was likely too small to detect smaller differences².

Progressive overload

The gymnast trial adjusted its training loads partway through². The other progressions below are what study authors described or suggested, not what they tested¹.

Load set from a strength test

The trial’s 1RM test began at 80% of the 1RM each gymnast reported, and 2.5 to 10 kg was added after each success². The high-load group then trained three days a week, with 3 sets of 10 repetitions at 75% of 1RM². The 1RM was tested again at the end of week three, and loads were adjusted for the last three weeks².

From bench to bar: what authors describe

• The authors of the study of three versions write that the bench dip may suit beginners, because feet on the ground can moderate the resistance¹.
• They describe the bar dip as a progression from the bench dip, with greater total load and less stability¹. They report that the higher peak activity of most muscles they tested supports the practice¹.
• They suggest three ways of lightening a bar dip, without having tested them¹. These are standing, machine-assisted and band-assisted bar dips¹.

The authors of the bar dip study write that the exercise is commonly prescribed in high volumes³. The literature, they write, suggests maximal repetitions and sets of 10 to 40 or more for building muscular endurance³.

Connections

The muscles one study chose as potential agonists were the triceps brachii, pectoralis major and anterior deltoid¹. Its potential stabilisers were the trapezius, serratus anterior, infraspinatus, latissimus dorsi and biceps brachii¹.

The shoulder extends as the body lowers, and the elbow bends¹. The pectoralis major tendon ruptured in one case report of a weighted ring dip⁵. The distal triceps tendon page reports the triceps EMG figures from the three dip versions¹. The clavicle fractured in two case reports of triceps dips^7,8.

Sources

1. McKenzie A, Crowley-McHattan Z, Meir R, Whitting J, Volschenk W (2022). Bench, Bar, and Ring Dips: Do Kinematics and Muscle Activity Differ?. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. doi:10.3390/ijerph192013211 PMID 36293792
2. Li A, Tang J, Zheng K, Chen J, Wang G, Feng D (2026). Effects of low-load blood flow restriction vs. high-load resistance training on upper-body strength in male collegiate gymnasts: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Exercise Science and Fitness. doi:10.1016/j.jesf.2026.200456 PMID 41732289
3. McKenzie A, Crowley-McHattan Z, Meir R, Whitting J, Volschenk W (2022). Fatigue Increases Muscle Activations but Does Not Change Maximal Joint Angles during the Bar Dip. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. doi:10.3390/ijerph192114390 PMID 36361276
4. Carek PJ, Hawkins A (1998). Rupture of pectoralis major during parallel bar dips: case report and review. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. doi:10.1097/00005768-199803000-00001 PMID 9526877
5. da Silva LG, Ferrer RM, de Souza JR, Gracitelli MEC, Secchi LLB (2022). Rehabilitation After Surgical Treatment of Pectoralis Major Rupture in a CrossFit® Practitioner: A Case Report. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy. doi:10.26603/001c.35720 PMID 35693859
6. Demir Benli M (2023). Stress fracture of the manubrium sterni during parallel bar dips. The Physician and Sportsmedicine. doi:10.1080/00913847.2023.2188047 PMID 36877125
7. Malavolta EA, Assunção JH, Gracitelli ME, Lobo FL, Ferreira Neto AA (2016). Fracture of the clavicle and second rib: an indirect injury from tricep dips. The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. PMID 27377364
8. Kang M, Kohli S, Naumowicz Z, Barlow I (2021). Stress fracture of the clavicle in a young adolescent male - A case report. Trauma Case Reports. doi:10.1016/j.tcr.2021.100558 PMID 34901371
9. Aune KT, Powers JM (2017). Injuries in an Extreme Conditioning Program. Sports Health. doi:10.1177/1941738116674895 PMID 27760844

Every source the library cites

Changes

• October 8, 2026 Revised to report sources added after their published corrections were read